Activists in Philippines Rally on Human Rights Day, Burn US Flag + VIDEO

Thu Dec 10, 2015 16:23:04

Thousands Filipino activists marked Human Rights Day with a rally in Manila on Thursday December 10, police said.

Activists carried placards and banners some bearing the names of human rights victims who have been imprisoned, are missing or dead.

They marched to the Presidential Palace, where they burned a 13-foot beast-like effigy of President Benigno Aquino while chanting nationalist slogans.

Human rights watchdog, Karapatan (Rights) spokesperson, said the Aquino administration has failed to address human rights issues.

“Nobody was left accountable in the government, there was not even one high ranking official or someone from the Philippine armed forces convicted. That says a lot about the government’s political will and how high they place their accountability,” said Christina Palabay, a Karapatan spokesperson.

The group says a total of 304 cases of extrajudicial killings were reported under the Aquino government since 2010.

Palabay said prosecution has been slow despite Aquino’s promise to hasten the conviction rate by designating special courts to handle human rights violations.

Palabay also said there were zero convictions related to a 2009 massacre in which 58 people, including dozens of local journalists, were shot and buried in shallow graves in a remote village in Maguindanao, AP reported.

S/SH

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